Numerical super(230)Th/U dating and a palynological review of the Holsteinian/Hoxnian Interglacial

• Published in: Quaternary science reviews Vol. 24; no. 16-17; pp. 1861 - 1872
• Main Authors: Geyh, Mebus A, Mueller, Helmut
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: 01.09.2005
• Subjects: Poland; France; British Isles, England; Germany
• ISSN: 0277-3791
• DOI: 10.1016/j.quascirev.2005.01.007

Earth scientists increasingly consider the Holsteinian Interglacial and MIS 11 as synonyms, despite the limited number of numerical dates and ambiguous stratigraphic and palynological correlation with the numerical marine isotope timescale. Hence, we present new TIMS super(230)Th/U dates from two fen peat layers of the Holsteinian reference site at Bossel in northern Germany and re-evaluate published numerical data from two sites with Hoxnian deposits in England. A new method for the calculation of methodically controlled minimum super(230)Th/U ages (MCMA) was developed. The synopsis of the super(230)Th/U dates allows a correlation of both the Holsteinian and Hoxnian Interglacials to MIS 9. This correlation is supported by supplementary super(230)Th/U dates of fen peat from several pre-Eemian but non-Holsteinian sites in Germany. There is palynological evidence for a reliable correlation between precisely investigated and numerically dated Holsteinian deposits in Poland, Germany, England, SW-Ireland and France. An apparently contradictory palynological correlation from the French Central Massif is discussed.